Pablo Galilea, Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture. (Photo: Subpesca)

Law proposed to exchange fishing quotas between companies

CHILE
Friday, September 24, 2010, 03:50 (GMT + 9)

The Chilean Government, through the Subsecretariat of Fisheries (Subpesca), will enter Congress on Monday to put forward a bill that will allow fishing companies to trade between other related and unrelated companies in the north and south, and will allow them to transfer fishing quotas.

The government initiative provides for the possibility of transferring up to 10 per cent of quotas for any species between firms from both ends of the country.

That percentage would amount to approximately 40,000 tonnes of horse mackerel which the National Fisheries Council (CNP) had previously refused to transfer from fisheries in the south to the north.

"For example, this could happen between operations run by Pesquera Camanchaca or between firms owned by the Angelini group, in the case that one company has catches remaining on their quota and the other does not," remarked the Subsecretary - Pablo Galilea.

With regards to the 'nuisance' which originated within the Fishing Industry Association for the Region of Bío Bío A.G. (ASIPES) as a result of the transfer of quotas, Galilea said it could be solved "through fishing research or lowering the minimum size of fish you are allowed to catch," but explained that the latter can still not be done as there are only preliminary scientific studies.

"They say that it is possible to drop [the size of horse mackerel] from 26 centimeters to 22 centimeters," said the head of Subpesca, according to the newspaper Estrategia.

Meanwhile, Subpesca quoted that by 5 October, they would review the maximum catch limit for all major fisheries nationwide.

"We will have the presence of the Minister of Economy, Juan Andres Fontaine. He will refer to fisheries and aquaculture issues, and quotas to be allocated for next year, giving the working patterns," said the Chilean official.

For his part, Francisco Mujica, general manager of Corpesca SA, criticized the rejection of the proposed transfer of fishing quotas.

In his view, they are putting the viability of the fishing industry in the north of the country at risk, in circumstances that "the quota allocated to fisheries in the region is quadruple their actual fishing opportunities."

As well, he also found that the rejection made by ASIPES meets a spirit of revenge that does not fit with the support they received from the North.

"If this situation continues and next year they are more pessimistic, whatever happens can not be certain. We will have to constantly examine what is the viability of not only the company but each plant, port or base. But if we are set a very small quota, we might have to close three of the six plants we have. This is not a threat, it is a reality," said the businessman to Diario Financiero.

Related article:

- Northern area to not receive larger quota for horse mackerel

By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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